The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Johnny Majors

Followed Bill Battle. Johnny Majors inherited a Power Program I Tennessee and won with it.

The ascent
185–137
1968–1992 · 3 stints
Iowa StatePittsburghTennessee
← all coaches

Career arc

His real stature score, season by season, across every program he’s coached — so a stretch that stays in one tier the whole way can still climb or sink on the line, not just flatten out. Node color marks the tier reached. Which program a stretch belongs to is carried by the shaded lane behind it.

Stature score reached, by season of his head-coaching careerIOWA STATEPITTSBURGHTENNESSEEBlue Bloodpermanent top tierPower Programperennial contenderNational Programrespectable, streakyRegional Programthe building-block levelIowa State, 1968: 3-7, Regional Program IV1968Iowa State, 1969: 3-7, Regional Program IVIowa State, 1970: 5-6, Regional Program IIIIowa State, 1971: 8-4, Regional Program IIIowa State, 1972: 5-6, Regional Program I1972+6.9Pittsburgh, 1973: 6-5, Regional Program II1973Pittsburgh, 1974: 7-4, Regional Program IPittsburgh, 1975: 8-4, National Program IIPittsburgh, 1976: 12-0, Power Program IIPittsburgh, 1993: 3-8, National Program IIPittsburgh, 1994: 3-8, National Program IIPittsburgh, 1995: 2-9, National Program IIPittsburgh, 1996: 4-7, Regional Program I1996+22.0Tennessee, 1977: 4-7, Power Program II1977Tennessee, 1978: 5-5, Power Program IITennessee, 1979: 7-5, Power Program IITennessee, 1980: 5-6, Power Program IITennessee, 1981: 8-4, Power Program IITennessee, 1982: 6-5, Power Program IIITennessee, 1983: 9-3, Power Program IIITennessee, 1984: 7-4, Power Program IITennessee, 1985: 9-1, Power Program ITennessee, 1986: 7-5, Power Program ITennessee, 1987: 10-2, Power Program ITennessee, 1988: 5-6, Power Program IITennessee, 1989: 11-1, Power Program IITennessee, 1990: 9-2, Power Program ITennessee, 1991: 9-3, Power Program ITennessee, 1992: 5-3, Power Program I1992+1.3One point per coached season, in career order; dashed segments are program changes — spacing is not proportional to calendar time

Reached Power Program in his 9th career season — faster than 10% of the 395 FBS coaches who have ever reached Power Program (rank #332 of 395 by seasons-to-arrival).

Iowa State, 5 seasons
+6.9
Regional Program IV → Regional Program I.
Pittsburgh, 8 seasons
+22.0
Regional Program II → Regional Program I.
Tennessee, 16 seasons
+1.3
Power Program II → Power Program I.

The big-game ledger

How he does in the games that matter most — rivalry record, performance broken out by real opponent tier, one-score games, and his toughest historical matchup.

34–23 against his rivals. Winless in 5 tries against Bob Devaney.

Rivalry record
34–23
59.6% · 5 rivals
One-score games
51–39–10
51.0% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
0–5
0.0%
Rivalry ledger
Alabama4–1127%
Kentucky12–380%
Vanderbilt14–193%
West Virginia3–538%
Penn State1–325%
The toughest matchup
vs. Bob Devaney0–4–1
5 meetings, 1968–1972
’68 L’69 L’70 L’71 L’72 T
0% win rate across a real, 5-meeting series — short of the bar this site uses before badging a series “Nemesis.” Shown here as the toughest matchup on record, not an algorithmic crown.
Performance by opponent class
Dynasty
0–5 0.0%
Blue Blood
8–24 25.0%
Power Program
22–49 31.0%
National Program
62–38 62.0%
Regional Program
82–18 82.0%

Coaching career

1977–1992
Tennesseeinheritor
Power Program I → Power Program I
Johnny Majors inherited a Power Program I Tennessee and won with it.

8th-best Tennessee tenure of 16 by the numbers.

Followed Bill Battle (1970–1976).

51 NFL Draft picks: Stanley Morgan (1977), Larry Seivers (1977), Mickey Marvin (1977), Andy Spiva (1977), Craig Colquitt (1978), Robert Shaw (1979), Jeff Moore (1979), Roland James (1980) + 43 more

116–62
1973–1996
Pittsburghbuilderborderline
Regional Program III → Power Program II
Johnny Majors raised Pittsburgh from Regional Program III to Power Program II.

6th-best Pittsburgh tenure of 23 by the numbers.

Followed Carl DePasqua (1969–1972) · succeeded by Walt Harris (1997–2004).

65 NFL Draft picks: Gary Burley (1975), Tom Perko (1976), Karl Farmer (1976), Tony Dorsett (1977), Larry Swider (1977), Jim Corbett (1977), Randy Holloway (1978), Matt Cavanaugh (1978) + 57 more

45–45
1968–1972
Iowa Statecaretaker
Regional Program III → Regional Program I
Johnny Majors moved Iowa State from Regional Program III to Regional Program I in 5 seasons.

5th-best Iowa State tenure of 19 by the numbers.

Followed Clay Stapleton (1958–1967) · succeeded by Earle Bruce (1973–1978).

5 NFL Draft picks: Otto Stowe (1971), Dean Carlson (1972), George Amundson (1973), Dave McCurry (1973), George Campbell (1973)

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